Cabinet top



June 19, 1945. A. P. GEIME.R

CABINET TOP Fiied Jan. 15, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W 9% v w ar zffi og fGezmer n J W June 19,1945. A p E MER 2,378,402

CABINET TOP Filed Jah. 15, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 19, 1945 CABINET TOP Anthony P. Geimer, Two Rivers, Wis., assignor to Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Two Rivers, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 15, 1943, Serial No; 472,435 1 4 Claims. (01. 312-163) This invention relates to cabinet top more particularly for professional cabinets such as are used by dentists and physicans.

An object of the invention is to ,prbvide an improved and simplified'structure for this purpose, and this, and other objects and advantages, will be apparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which-- g n Figure 1 is a plan view of a cabinet top embodying the present invention, broken away to expedite description;

Figure 2 isa sectional view, somewhat enlarged, taken on the staggered. line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectionalview, on the scale of Fig. 2, but taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; V

Figure 3a is a fragmentary plan view of a corner of the top, on the scale of Fig. 1, with the working top omitted;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, on the scale of Figs. 2 and 3, of a corner of the working top shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a preferred assembly of a working top, frame therefor,

and cabinet base, with the working top and frame therefor. together in separated relation from the cabinet base but indicating by. arrows the direction of movement to put the parts into assembled relation; and

Figure 6 is a separated view of the frame shown in other figures of the drawings.

Referring in detail to the illustrative con-- struction shown inthe drawings, one form of cabinet such as herein referred to, may have the usual drawer part lB,forming the base of the cabinet and elevating the top ll of the cabinet to a height convenient, for working thereon, by the dentists, for example while in standing position, and supporting the cabinet top at this height.

As. disclosed in the Evans Patent No. 2,045,264 of June 23, 1936, the working-top of the cabinet is conveniently comprised of two parts, namely,

the top properl l and a medicine-bottle compart ment l2, separated, in one instance, by a depressible partition l3 which is lowered automatically when .the cover member l3a of the bottle compartment is raised to uncover the latter, means for this co-actionbeing described and claimed in said patent. At the ends of the bottle 1 tray compartment l2 are the upstanding cabinet walls |3b which may support such mechanism referred to.

The cabinet top proper, with which the present invention is concerned, is, as here shown, made up of an underlying frame l4, conveniently formed at least in part of woodand carrying the working top l5 thereon. The working top I5 is desirably constructed of a solid sheet of welded or compressed fibre'material or similar cellulous composition I50 impregnated with a relatively heavy initially liquid and later baked or otherwise hardenedlacquer or the like which produces thereon an acid and wear resisting coating l6 which is finally advantageously rubbed. down especiallyupon its upper workingsurface 35, to provide a smooth hard finish. v

To secure the working top I5 and itswood frame it together, the frame may carry dowels ll sunk into mortises Ila in the frame and having upstanding ends which are received by a tight holdingfit in similar mortises llb spaced to register therewith along the under side of the outer margins of the working top. Kerfs He. in the dowel pins facilitate a good glued main cabinet part, the base II], as here shown, a

connection between the dowel pins and their engaging parts in this assembly, which thus-define,

" as so constructed and arranged, the working top l5 and its wood frame M as a unitary, in this instance removable, top H for the cabinet.

The wood frame It is desirably faced with a metal moulding, angle-shaped in cross-section, which thus forms a part of the frame and having the front part l8 and bottom part IS, the front part 18 constituting a facing for theouter surface of the frame 14 and the bottom part 19 constituting a facing for the under edge of the frame. As shown in Fig. 3a, the front facing part l8 of the moulding maybe continuous from end to end of the frame. and formed correspondingly about the curved corners 34 thereof, while the bottom facing part IQ of the moulding may be discontinued at the corners. Screws 2!] are shown securing the metal moulding to the frame a by curing themetal moulding to the frame as by being received through the .bottom part 19 of the moulding and screwed upwardly into theunder side of the frame. Thus, the moulding l8 -l 9 terminates below the working top i5 to expose the edge of the latter. and it is also a constituent element, as here shown, of the unitary cabinet top I I while at the same time it may be formed separately as a part of a frame therefor.

Turning now to the preferred assembly of the unitary cabinet top H and the cabinet base or has a sub-top 2| thereon conveniently formed of wood and secured thereto by any suitable means which need not be 'here described. In accordance with the present disclosure, however, the sub-top 2| is spaced away from the front and sides of the cabinet leaving a step 22 about the upper margin thereof, as best seen in Fig. 5. At the corners, the sub-top 2| is advantageously cut on the diagonal as at 23 to accommodate the corner construction and corresponding .somewhat to the diagonal "inner ,sides 24 of the frame M which fit therewith when the frame I4, with its working top I5, is assembled with the cabinet base I0.

In the illustrative construction, such assembly is desirably effected by a horizontal movement of the cabinet top I I from frontto rearrof the cabinet, the frame I4 carrying anotherpair *of'fixed dowels 25, horizontal in thi instance, which are received in registering sockets'26 inthe'cabinet ends I3b aligned with the step 22 upon which :the frame slides in this assembly and upon which it is supported when pressed home with'the dowels 25 snugly taking into the sockets 26.

"To further secure this assembly, the sub-top 2| advantageously "carries a spring clip, in this instance three'such clips 21, which are securedto the vertical-edge '28'of the sub-top 2| as by screws 29. The free ends of the clips '21 insure'a frictional grip of the frame I4 as by taking into notches '30 spaced along the upper edge of the frame I4 beneath the element I 5, in register with theclips,-the outer ends of the clips beingslig'htly upturned as at =3I to. provide a frictional locking lip. 'Thus the cabinet top I I, comprising the working top l5 and its'frame I4, "are securely held on the cabinet I against accidental displacement,

but may be readily removed as-a unit when desired, as, for example, during shipments of the parts orfor'any'other'purpose, atwhichtime the frame I4 is substantially concealed or inconspicuousby reason of the metal moulding I8I 9 being a unitary part 'of the removable top. Also, the metal moulding I8 desirably conceals the notches 30 into which the springclips 2'! take.

Further in accordance with the present invention and turning again to the working top I itself, this member is importantly constructed with a shallow, relatively wide groove 32 formed in its upper surface, spaced uniformly inwardly of the edge thereof'and extendin -along the margins of three 'of the sides thereof, namely, itstwo sides and front, and including the rounded corners 33, which correspond with'the rounded corners 34 of the frame. The groove 32 adjacent the corners has a radius corresponding to the radius of the corners.

The groove 32 is such that when the initially fluid, hardenable coating I6 is superposed on'the working top I5 to form a surface'thereon and particularly the upper polished working-surface 35-, the coating flows into the groove to form the inclined'walls 36, desirably'merging as by relatively imperceptible graduations into the working surface 35, thus-not only avoiding sharp edges thereat b-ut'permitting the coating to fiow'conveniently thereinto, and, after hardening of the latter, facilitatin'g'easy cleaning of the groove. As clearlyshown in'the drawingsthe groove 32'is of substantially less depth than width.

The groove 32 insures that liquids,'sometimes such as acids, spilled ion'the cabinet top will not run down'the'side of the cabinet to mar or damage 'it, but will run into the groove and be re- :tain'ed, therein'untilremoval is convenient. Furthermore, instruments 'andsmall parts commonly :be advantageously employed.

What is here claimed is:

1."In a structure of the class described, the combination with -a .cabinet base, of a flat sub- .topiforming .a part of the base, a recess about the front and two sides of said base adjacent said sub-top providing a step thereat, a frame received'on'said's'tep about the margin of said subtop, a working top carried on said frame covering said sub-top, said frame terminating below said working top to expose the edge of said working top, "said working top comprising a layer of non-metallic material provided with a shallow rla'tively'wide groove extending along the front and side-margins of-saidworking top, means releasablyre'taining the said frame on said base. and other means "retaining the Working top on =sai'dframe.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the base and frame are provided with a pair of horizontally extending inter-engaging 'members aligned with said'recess at eachside of the base and thevertical edge of said sub-top at thefront of the base carries a spring clip having a forwardly projecting spring lip, 'and'the'said'frame has anotch in its upper edge below said layer 'of non-"metallic materialsliding'ly receiving-said lockinglip to-releasably lock the frame to the base.

3. In a structure of the class described, the combination witha cabinet base, of a fiat sub-top forming a part of the base, a recess 'about the front and two sides of said base adjacent 'said sub-top providinga step thereat,a'frame received on said step about the margin of saidsub-top, a

' working top carried on said frame and sub-top covering said sub-top, said frame terminating below said working top to expose the edge of said working top, said working top comprising a layer 'of'non metallic material provided with a shallow relatively wide groove extending along the :front and side margins of said working top, said groove being 'of substantially less depth than width and the said layer of non-metallic material having superposed on its upper surface including said groove 'an initially-fluid hardened coating, the walls of said groove being gradually'inclined to permit the coating to flow thereinto and to facilitatecleaningof the groove.

ijIn'a'structure of the class described, the combination'with a cabinet base; of a fiat subtopforming-a part of the base, 'arecess abo-ut'the front and two sides of said base adjacent "said sub-top providing a step thereat, a frame 're- 'ceive'd-on said step about themargin o'fsaidsubtop;a'workinjg top carried on'said frame andsub topcovering said sub-top, said frame terminating below said'working top to expose the .edgeof said workingtop,-said frame being in-part of nonmetallic material and being-provided with'a metal molding providing 'a facin for the "non-metallic part of the "frame and said molding "concealingxa notch in'the cabinet base for ia'lockinglip.

ANTHONY P. GEIIVIER. 

